Title: A Night in India
by Pinkcat456
No spoilers, Rating is K+
Part Two
Becker, Matt and Emily, Connor, Lester, and Abby all walked toward the canteen.
"What do you mean there is no booze?" said Lester, in shock.
"That's what Jess said," said Abby.
"Then why on earth are we going?" asked an appalled Lester.
"For morale," said Becker, not looking overly happy either.
Lester rolled his eyes. "I thought that died ages ago."
Emily and Matt smirked. "Jess has worked very hard on this, so we shall all be delighted this evening." She looked at the men and glared.
No one replied. Matt chuckled. "At least we get to eat," he said.
They walked into the canteen, and everyone but Becker whistled or said how pretty it all was. Becker had already seen it.
"Welcome to India," said Jess. She stood quietly, not going on in her usual chatty manner. The sari and her hair, done in a classic bun, underneath a veil, seemed to turn her into an elegant, refined lady.
Jess's sari was long and orange. It was bright and the fabric was light and flowing. It draped along her body. It had beautiful embroidery of a light peach and dark green woven into the rich fabric.
The sari was long. It wrapped over a light green long sleeve-top. The sari draped down so the green was visible along her neckline. The top was simple but had gold streaks woven into it. Gold necklaces ran down the green top.
Becker looked at the long sari draping down all the way to the floor. It was long. That's all Becker could keep thinking, how long it was. He was a little disappointed, but could not deny how beautiful she looked. She was gorgeous, but covered. Even her hair was mostly covered with a rich gold and green veil. He couldn't even she her shoes for pity sakes.
He realized that she was much shorter than normal, so she must have been wearing flats.
"I don't think I like India," he said finally.
Jess looked at him. She was shocked and a little concerned.
"You just don't seem like you," he said. The he smirked. "No high heels, you're practically entirely covered, and you're quiet. You've hardly rambled at all. I don't think I like the demure Miss Parker."
Jess smiled. "So you don't want me to convert to Hinduism?"
"No."
Chef Bernard Rice appeared. He was a happy, rather large man in his fifties. He nodded to Jess, and then waited as everyone quieted.
"Welcome. Tonight, we are in India. Before I explain the menu, let me remind you that we have hemp tattoos available, with a genuine mehndi artist. Not only are the designs intricate and beautiful they mean different things such as fertility, fortune, good health and so on. They are not permanent, but will take 2-4 weeks to fade, so be careful where you put the tattoo. Also, Miss Parker has arranged for some special entertainment so please do not leave after you stuff your face."
There was laughter, but Bernie went on.
"I have made a course-based menu, as Indian food requires several different dishes to achieve a balanced meal and taste all the many wonderful spices and ingredients used in Indian cuisine. We will also go to several regions of India."
"First, for the appetizers, we have onion fritters, or in Indian, Pyaz Pakora—pyaz meaning onions, and Pakora for fritters. We have Samosas, crispy dough filled with spicy potato filling. We also have stuffed some of the pakoras with lamb, to demonstrate the versatility of this wonderful cuisine. Our final appetizers are Dahi Bara, fritter balls with a lovely yogurt dressing."
Moving into the main dishes, from the region of Punjab we have Tandoori Chicken. Since the canteen does not come equipped with a tandoori, which is an earthen oven, we made do with a charcoal grill.
"I've had that," said Connor, "I've had tandoori chicken in a restaurant."
"Thank you, Mr. Temple," said Bernie, "I was just coming to that point. When most people, outside of India, think of Indian cuisine, it is most often Punjabi cuisine."
"Now, moving to the western shores of India, we have a fish curry and a prawn vindaloo, from the area of Goan. Actually, I interjected the prawn into the classic vindaloo as a request from Miss Parker."
Jess blushed, and looked at Becker, who returned the glance with a grin. Then he blushed.
"It is traditional to have the main course with starches and lentils, so we offer you several. We have Muli Ka Paratha which is flat-bread stuffed with radish. Radishes are available in many of the harsh climates of India and are eaten in winter. Just a little educational appetizer, for you," said Bernie with a grin.
"We also have, for starches, Makki Ki Roti which is Punjabi corn bread. Kimberly, my lovely sous-chef, who hates me now, is going to move to Punjab and become a professional bread roller."
"You try rolling that stuff into a perfect circle! It's insane," said a petite, young woman behind the counter.
"Fulfilling the lentil requirement, we have Dahi ki Dahl, split pea and yogurt soup. Yogurt in soup may sound strange, but it makes for a creamy soup. Please, give it a try. Masala is a spicy hot spice blend used throughout India. So, we use it in a gravy with chickpeas for Chana Masala."
"You cannot do Indian food without achar, or chutney. It is an entire food category in India, used everywhere, as a side dish, a gravy, a dressing, a sauce, etc. We have several chutneys: garlic, onion, mango, and coconut. Do try some of the chutneys with the other main dish Sheek Kebab, chunks of lamb, onion, tomato, and lemon roasted over our tandoori, the grill."
"We will finish our meal in India tonight with desserts. There are two categories of dessert in India. The first of our desserts comes from the Bengali region and it represents the milk-based desserts. Rasgula is a very popular dessert and it is literally, a fresh cheese ball in sugar syrup. The second dessert represents the flour-based category. We have for you Jalebi, which is made by swirling a flour batter in hot oil, frying it, then soaking it in a sugar syrup."
"Finally, do try some of Indian beverages. Chai is a spicy Indian tea. Charu is a tart tamarind water popular in South India. We also have prepared a delicious mango Lassi, a yogurt smoothie made with fresh mango."
"I am happy to report, after the sake incident, that India is not known for alcoholic drinks, so we will not be indulging in anything alcoholic tonight."
Bernie waited patiently as the crowd reacted. They yelled things like:
"What?"
"No! You're kidding!"
"Boo! Who decided that?"
"You're fired!"
Bernie smiled as the crowd began to boo in one voice. "I can tolerate this round of boos much easier than that Japanese round of booze," he said and chuckled as the audience groaned.
"Bon Appetit," he said and retreated behind the counter.
"Wrong language," said Jess, with a grin. "Fill me up, Bernie. Give me a little bit of everything."
"That's why she wore the long dress, Becker," said Connor, smirking. "She's trying to conceal the extra pounds."
Becker laughed. Jess ignored them both. "Thank you Bernie," she said, and glaring at Connor, she whispered to Becker, "I know you hate my long skirt, just be patient."
Connor heard despite the whispering. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know," said Becker. Then with a sideways grin he said, "Should be interesting though," he said, following Jess to the table.
End of Part Two